The MeeMaw Effect
by Anoveldebut
Summary: Sheldon asks Penny a question she can't answer. They go to MeeMaw for advice. This is a Shenny fic, so be forewarned.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is set shortly after the events of Season 3, episode 19. I'm not sure where MeeMaw would actually live, but I've put her somewhere in rural Texas for the sake of this story. Be forewarned, this is a Shenny fic. Enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: I own no part of The Big Bang Theory. This is simply for fun.

* * *

**The MeeMaw Effect**

**Chapter One**

"Penny, if I may ask...why did you and Leonard break up?"

Penny blinked in surprise. It had been three weeks since the breakup, and apart from some initial weirdness adjusting to living so close to her ex while trying to remain friends, nobody seemed to think much of it anymore. Nobody, that is, except Sheldon.

Penny dumped the rest of her laundry into the machine and shut it before she spoke. "I guess... I don't know. I guess we were just in two different places," she mumbled.

"I don't believe that," Sheldon stated matter-of-factly. "It's physically impossible to be in two different places at once. If it weren't, I wouldn't need to waste time on things like food or sleep. I could just work all the time, whilst another 'me' took care of all the necessary trivialities."

Penny stared at him, dumbfounded. It never ceased to amaze her how completely _unworldly_ this man could be.

"He told me he loved me," she stated baldly, "And I couldn't make myself say it back."

Sheldon contemplated her a moment, noting the defiance in her stance, the challenge-me-if-you-dare glint in her eyes.

"I see," he said at last. Then, "Tell me. Do you fear all commitment, or simply commitment to Leonard?," he asked.

"What?," she demanded in return.

"With the number of short term affairs we've seen begin and end at your discretion, it would appear that you have a fear of commitment. Yet you continue to openly pursue romantic relationships, evidently expecting the outcome to change each time. So in your mind, is Leonard the problem, or are you?"

"Sheldon," she began, grasping for purchase. His argument had her reeling, her usual sassy reply held in check by her own genuine uncertainty. _Was Leonard the problem, or was she?_ She had no idea. "I have to go," she said instead, grabbing her empty basket before bolting up the stairs.

* * *

Sheldon watched Penny leave, realization dawning that he may, perchance, have overstepped some invisible social boundary in his line of questioning. Folding the last of his laundry, he carried it up the stairs, resigned to the inevitability of having to apologize to a friend for a mistake he couldn't quite identify.

Reaching Penny's door, he set his laundry basket down before knocking.

_Knock, knock, knock,_ "Penny," he said.

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

"What?," Penny demanded, throwing the door open wide.

"I seem to have offended you, although that was not my intent."

"Sheldon, I get that you don't _get_ social niceties, but I really don't want to talk about this right now," she huffed. "And if you really need to know, I don't know, okay? I don't know the answer to your stupid question."

"You're upset. Would you like a hot beverage?," he asked calmly, trying to maintain his footing in an increasingly uncomfortable situation.

"No, Sheldon," Penny said, beginning to shut the door.

"Penny, wait," Sheldon said, miraculously stopping her from slamming the door in his face.

"What now?"

"I'm sorry if I've caused you any unnecessary grief. I was simply curious," he said, turning to go.

"Sheldon, wait," she sighed, opening the door some more. "It wasn't your fault. I've been asking myself the same question for weeks now," she confessed. "I just can't seem to find the answer."

"Then perhaps it is the wrong question," Sheldon replied thoughtfully.

"Excuse me?"

"In science, if a definitive truth cannot be extrapolated from the data at hand, it is often because an incorrect theorem has been postulated," he explained. "In other words, the question does not apply to the situation."

"I don't know, it seems pretty relevant to me," Penny admitted doubtfully.

"Yes, well, the data never lies," Sheldon retorted. "And if the data doesn't fit the question, then it is the question which needs to be changed."

Penny gaped at him a moment, trying to shake the effects of his sciency mumbo jumbo.

"I'll look into it some more, and get back to you when I have the right question to ask," he said, his mind already hard at work reliving every detail he could recall regarding Penny and Leonard's failed relationship. Which was a great deal, of course.

So lost was he in his own thoughts that he forgot to say goodbye to the most unique addition to his social group, heading into his apartment and straight for his white board while muttering to himself.

* * *

Penny stood in the doorway watching him a moment longer, then shook her head. There was no use trying to reason with him, she decided. He would just have to learn the hard way that sometimes there are no answers.

Shaking her head once more, she shut the door, deciding it was high time for some good old fashioned ice cream therapy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sheldon had been up all night trying to isolate the relevant variables in Penny and Leonard's failed relationship, to no avail. The secrets of the universe itself were easier to grasp than the intricacies of the interpersonal relations of his friends. He set his marker down, scowling at the meaningless drivel filling his board.

"Whatcha working on?," Leonard asked, coming into the room for breakfast.

"Penny is faced with a personal conundrum of unknown variables. I'm attempting to isolate the pertinent facts in order to provide a sound basis for further study in the matter."

Leonard made a face and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Isn't this a little out of your usual league of brilliance?," he asked archly, baiting the sleep-deprived physicist.

"Not at all," Sheldon defended. "In fact, if I can isolate these variables, I may be able to provide a solution for the animalistic human drive to mate and procreate."

"Sex, Sheldon. Sex is the solution," Leonard replied, frustrated.

"I don't think so," Sheldon retorted. "You see, coitus is a variable, not a solution," he explained, pointing to the pertinent equations on his whiteboard. "It either contributes or detracts from a relationship, but it never resolves anything."

"Except for the basic human need to procreate," Leonard countered.

"Leonard, Leonard, Leonard," Sheldon said, shaking his head. "When will you learn? In a society where procreation is optional, the _need_ to procreate is little more than an evolutionary throwback. In essence, the drive is still there, whereas the necessity is not."

"Your point being...?"

"I believe there may be other variables capable of achieving the same level of stimulus as coitus in stabilizing a healthy relationship."

"Says the man who has never had sex," Leonard replied.

"I don't see how that's relevant."

"Someday, Sheldon, I hope you will."

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock,_ "Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

"What's up, Sheldon?," Penny asked, opening the door and ushering him inside.

"I haven't slept in three days, but the solution to your problem continues to elude me."

"Ok-ay..."

"I think we need to take this to someone with more experience than myself."

"Sheldon, I really don't think that's necessary," Penny replied.

"Why not? You're a nice enough young woman. There's really no logical reason why you shouldn't find happiness with someone, someday."

"And I'm sure I will," Penny replied, smiling.

Sheldon shook his head. "According to my observations of past relationships, you will not."

"Sheldon."

"I'm serious, Penny. Leonard is only the latest in a long line of disappointing relationships. You're my friend, and I think you deserve better."

"That's really sweet, Sheldon, but I think I can handle this on my own."

"Would you consider taking sex out of the equation?," he asked abruptly.

"No," she retorted.

"Then you need my help," he replied.

"Sheldon," she warned.

"Hear me out. Whenever I've been troubled by matters of a personal nature, there has always been one person I could turn to for help. She's never steered me wrong."

"Your mother?," Penny guessed.

"No, my mother is a religious fruit. I'm referring, of course, to my MeeMaw."

Penny blinked, surprised. "You want me to talk to your MeeMaw about all my failed relationships?," she asked, disbelief tingeing her voice.

"Yes," he replied, nodding. "She always has the answers for this sort of thing. She's a brilliant woman," he added admiringly.

"You're really serious?," she asked, just to be sure.

"Of course I am!," he replied. "I can take a couple of days off work, and you can drive us there to have a chat."

"Couldn't I just use the phone?," she asked, not particularly relishing the idea of eighteen hours in a car with Sheldon.

"Nonsense," he replied. "MeeMaw does her best work over a plate of steaming fried chicken. You don't get steaming fried chicken over the phone."

"I guess not," Penny said weakly, wondering at what point she'd wake up and realize this was all just a very strange dream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Moonpie, what a lovely surprise!," MeeMaw exclaimed, pulling Sheldon into a tight embrace. Penny winced, waiting for the inevitable pull-back, but it never came. Instead, Sheldon held the elderly woman tight, saying "I know, MeeMaw. It's been too long."

"And who is this lovely young lady?," MeeMaw asked delightedly, at last spotting Penny on the porch.

"MeeMaw, this is my friend and neighbour, Penny. Penny, this is my MeeMaw."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Penny said, extending a hand.

"Oh, I'll have none of that!," MeeMaw replied, pulling Penny in for a tight squeeze of her own. "Do you know, you're the first girl my little Moonpie has ever brought home to see me?"

"You don't say?," Penny replied weakly.

MeeMaw laughed at that. "Well, come in, come in! You must be exhausted after such a long drive!"

MeeMaw led them into the large and surprisingly elegant house, the smell of dinner in the oven filling the air.

"Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. Is that your famous tuna casserole I smell?," Sheldon drawled, his Texan accent coming through more strongly than Penny had ever heard it before.

MeeMaw laughed again. "Of course, Moonpie! You always did have a keen sense of smell."

Sheldon beamed at the compliment, sitting in what Penny guessed to be his spot at MeeMaw's house.

"Won't be long now!," she called, bustling her way towards the back of the house and the warm smell of a home-cooked meal.

Penny stared wide-eyed at Sheldon a moment. "Sheldon," she began.

"Yes, Penny?," he drawled.

"You seem different, here," she observed.

"Nonsense!," he countered. "I'm the very same person I've always been."

"Would you kids like some pie?," MeeMaw called from the kitchen. "I have blueberry and plum in the freezer downstairs."

"Ooh, yummy! I'll go grab one!," Sheldon called back, racing from his seat.

"Same person my ass," Penny muttered, vowing to watch him closely for the rest of their stay.

* * *

"So, what brings you all the way home to Texas?," MeeMaw asked over dinner, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Can't a boy visit his MeeMaw without any other reason?," Sheldon countered, taking another huge forkful of casserole.

"Not with a beautiful woman in tow," MeeMaw observed. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Penny blushed furiously, but Sheldon merely smiled. "MeeMaw, I've already told you that Penny is a friend. As a matter of fact, until very recently, she was also dating my best friend and roommate, Leonard."

"And now you've run off together?," MeeMaw guessed, sighing wistfully. "I always knew my little Moonpie would be too much of a catch for any woman to resist for long."

Penny tried to set the record straight, but all she managed was a tiny squeak as she looked incredulously from MeeMaw to Sheldon and back again.

"No, no, MeeMaw," Sheldon corrected. "You see, Leonard is merely the latest in a long line of poor relationship decisions Penny has made. I was hoping you could help her understand what the problem is."

MeeMaw took Penny in for a moment. "You need to find yourself a good man, young lady," she said, her voice matter-of-fact. "If my Sheldon counts you among his friends, you must be something special, indeed. No more settling. You need to find someone who makes you happy, and is made happy by you in return."

"I thought I had," Penny replied carefully. "Leonard is a great guy. It's just, when he told me he loved me...I wasn't ready to say it back."

"Young lady, if there's one thing I've learned in all my years, it's that love is either there, or it isn't. You can't make yourself love someone simply because they love you, anymore than you can make someone love you just because you love them."

"So you think I couldn't tell him I love him because it isn't true?," she asked.

"Of course! Not every good man is the right man, my dear. Though I'd say you're on the right track now," she added, glancing meaningfully toward her grandson.

Sheldon beamed. "See, I told you. Brilliant," he said, beaming at his MeeMaw.

Penny nearly chocked on her meal.

* * *

Penny found herself alone on the back verandah after dinner, gazing out across the vast flatlands of rural Texas, the sky lit from one far edge to the other with the sinking orange sun. It was utterly breathtaking.

Sheldon and MeeMaw were inside, still happily gabbing about this and that while washing up from supper, and Penny couldn't help but marvel at the change in her neighbour since they'd arrived. Around MeeMaw, he was almost...normal.

Just as the sun sank below the horizon, making way for the first stars to appear, Sheldon stepped outside and quietly draped a blanket over her shoulders. "MeeMaw thought you might get cold," he explained softly, looking out over the familiar terrain.

"Thank you," she managed. The temperature was beginning to drop with the onset of night, although it was still a far cry from what she would usually consider to be cold.

They watched the night sky burst into life in silence, Penny amazed that so many stars could be seen all at once. Then she noticed that Sheldon was no longer looking at the sky, but at her.

"What is it, sweetie?," she asked, wondering if it was suddenly weirding him out, having her here.

"What do you see, when you look at the night sky?," he asked, surprising her not for the first time that day.

"Out here? It feels like I can see the whole universe," she confessed, looking back up into the sky.

He nodded, for once not correcting her observation to fit within his scientific ken. "You see that cluster over there?," he asked, pointing. Penny nodded. "Those stars died out before the dinosaurs, yet we can still see their light today."

"Really?," Penny breathed. Sheldon smiled.

"And over there," he pointed, "That star only appeared in our night sky four hundred and thirty-six years ago, though it is in fact tens of thousands of years old."

"How...?"

"The universe is so vast, entire star systems are born and die before their light can reach us."

"That's amazing," Penny said.

"You know, if you like stars, Koothrappali might be a good choice for you," Sheldon noted, breaking the moment.

"I'm not going to date Raj," Penny replied, shaking her head.

"Why not? He's a well-respected scientist in his field, and he's very open with his emotions."

"He can't speak to women," Penny pointed out.

"Talk is overrated," Sheldon replied.

"It would weird Leonard out if I dated someone else from the group."

"True. But it was no less strange for us when Leonard introduced you to the group in the first place."

"It was really that strange?," she asked softly.

"Penny, I don't know if you realize this, but you're very beautiful," he replied matter-of-factly, earning another blush from his companion. "And beautiful people don't generally associate with our kind. Yet you do so, willingly. You're an anomaly, Penny. An enigma not one of us has been able to decipher."

"Not even you?," she asked, just a touch skeptically.

"I've never been very good with people," he replied with a shrug.

Penny inched closer. "I think you're doing just fine," she said, offering him a genuine smile. His responding grin nearly made her weak at the knees, and it was all she could do to resist the urge to inch closer still, and see how human he could really be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Knock, knock, knock,_ "Penny."

Penny groaned, rolling over to glance at the clock. Six-thirty in the morning.

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

She glared at the door, willing the floorboards beneath his feet to swallow the young physicist whole.

_Knock, knock, knock_, "Penny."

She sighed, stumbling out of bed to open the door. "What?," she growled.

"It's breakfast time," Sheldon replied, warily eyeing her disgruntled appearance.

"It's_ really_ early," she noted sourly.

"Pancakes now, or cold cereal later. Your choice," he replied evenly.

She sighed. Pancakes did sound good. And MeeMaw's cooking had proven to be nothing short of amazing the night before. "Fine," she grumbled, looking for some clothes. "I'll be down in a bit."

* * *

"I was thinking last night that you might like a tour of our fair state," MeeMaw said, handing Penny a plate piled high with thick, fluffy pancakes slathered in a rich layer of butter.

"That could be nice," Penny agreed carefully, adding a generous amount of syrup to her stack.

"Good. Sheldon, be a dear boy and show your friend all the sights. Be sure not to leave anything out," she added sweetly, much to the surprise of both her grandson and Penny.

"But MeeMaw, we've come all this way to see you!," he whined.

"I know. But I have a few things I need to do today, and I don't want you young folk moping around here with nothing to do."

"Is there anything we could help you with?," Penny asked hopefully, not relishing the idea of any more time spent trapped in a car with Sheldon. Even a more human Sheldon than she'd previously come to know.

"Not a thing! You kids go on and enjoy yourselves today, and I promise when you get back, I'll have a wonderful dinner waiting for you!"

* * *

Sheldon knew his MeeMaw well enough to know when she was up to something, and right now, she definitely had something up her sleeve. His only trouble was, he couldn't quite put his finger on what, and _that_ made him nervous. He hated surprises, and while he knew his MeeMaw knew this about him, he was also aware that she would go to great lengths to push his boundaries.

The last time his MeeMaw had meddled, he'd ended up with a roommate. And while granted, after the first few failed attempts at cohabitating with another human being he'd found Leonard, the idea of some sort of set-up involving Penny set his nerves on edge.

He glanced quickly over at his friend. She looked nearly as apprehensive as he felt, as if she, too, understood on some level that they were being played. It made his nerves jangle that much worse.

Breakfast finished, they traipsed out to the car, shooed off by MeeMaw in her too-cheerful voice, and Sheldon began the tour. He gave the history of the area, starting with the earliest known colonization, straight through to present day, and he watched Penny's eyes glaze over as she drove.

That didn't seem safe. He tried another tact.

"You see that house over there?," he pointed.

"Uh huh," she replied, not batting an eye.

"That's where my first mortal enemy used to live."

She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.

"His name was Billy Brampton. He was the first person ever to pants me."

"Oh, sweetie..."

"And over there?," he continued, warming to his subject. "That's where I was treed by a chicken."

Penny frowned. "None of those are climbing trees," she observed.

"Normally, you'd be right. But it was a truly terrifying chicken."

That earned him a smile. "Did you spend much time here, as a kid?," she asked, genuinely curious. Sheldon nodded.

"Every school break. Going home meant facing the torment of both my siblings, as well as the petty squabbles that characterized my parents' marriage."

"Wait, going home? Where did you live, if you weren't at home?"

He shrugged. "Boarding schools, mostly. I spent the early part of my childhood with my family, but once they learned precisely how gifted I was..." He shrugged again.

"Oh," Penny replied. She'd never known how little time he'd actually spent with his own family. It explained a lot, actually.

"If you feel up to driving into the city, I can show you where I grew up. There are a lot of good stories there."

"Like what?," she asked softly.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he replied, his usual smugness coming back into play.

* * *

Penny could not believe they'd spent the entire day together, and_ enjoyed _it. The two-day drive into Texas had been precisely the extended hell of any other car ride with Sheldon Cooper she would have expected. But this...this had been nice.

Instead of trying to play games that were light-years beyond her comprehension, or nagging her about the continued illumination of her check engine light, Sheldon had been busy regaling her with memories of his childhood.

He'd shown her where his dad had taught him archery and football, where he'd gone to school, and where his mother still lived. They'd even stopped in for a visit, earning a highly approving smile from Mary at the sight of them, and a delicious lunch of fried chicken and apple crumble.

All in all, it had been an amazing day.

"Well, this can't be right," Sheldon muttered as they got closer to MeeMaw's house.

"What is it, sweetie?," Penny asked, driving carefully so as to avoid hitting the cars parked all along the side of the road. Someone must be having a party.

"That's Hugh Klein's car," he said as they passed it by. "And that one there belongs to James Nash."

"O-kay...," Penny said, not really understanding.

"MeeMaw is definitely up to something," he replied, his face growing rigid with suspicion.

Penny parked the car in the spot left vacant in MeeMaw's long drive, following Sheldon up the stairs at a brisk walk.

He opened the door, cringing back from the noise and bustle greeting them from inside.

"Come in, come in," MeeMaw called, coming over to greet them. "Just a little dinner party I threw together, to introduce your lovely friend to some _real_ gentlemen," she explained.

"MeeMaw, I hardly think that was necessary," Sheldon replied sternly.

"Nonsense, Moonpie!," she retorted exuberantly. "Everyone knows there's no gentleman like a Texan gentleman!" Sheldon's jaw dropped incredulously before his MeeMaw turned away, this time addressing Penny. "Come along, dear. I'll introduce you around."

Penny's last clear view of Sheldon was a dumbstruck young man, lost in a veritable sea of Texan bachelors.

* * *

Sheldon despised everyone in that room. From the accountant who'd bullied him all summer long, to the oil baron who sneered derisively whenever he caught his eye, Sheldon was positive not one of these men could be right for Penny.

He couldn't even begin to fathom what his MeeMaw had been thinking.

Stalking back out the door, he quickly marched off to the farthest corner of the property, desperately seeking a quiet place to wait for the eventual departure of his MeeMaw's 'guests'.

* * *

Penny was bored. For all she was used to never understanding the boys when they went into full-on geek mode, they were at least animated about their topic. These guys were just...boring.

She smiled politely as an accountant and an investment specialist compared accounts, presumably with the intent of impressing her with their knowledge or importance, while she stifled a yawn.

Maybe she didn't have the best track record with men, but really, she was pretty sure she could do better than this.

She scanned the room again, desperately hoping to find Sheldon. He was, of course, nowhere in sight.

She almost wished she could find the words to put these two bores in their place, Sheldon-style. They'd never bother her again, if she could.

She smiled at the thought. The men currently before her only took it as encouragement to continue.

Penny, eventually, walked away.

* * *

The stars were bright overhead, the sky crisp and clear, absolutely perfect in every way. Sheldon wished Penny were there to see it too.

He paused in his thoughts. That was surprising. It wasn't often that he found himself longing for companionship. Yet the night before, gazing into the night sky with his good friend, he'd been happy.

He wanted to be happy again now.

* * *

It was well after ten at night before the last of the guests had driven away, still with no sign of Sheldon.

Penny began to worry, though MeeMaw seemed oddly unconcerned.

It was past Sheldon's usual bedtime. He should be home by now.

Excusing herself for a bit of fresh air, Penny stepped outside, scanning the dark fields for any sign of her lanky friend. She walked to the farthest fence line before she found him.

"Sheldon, what are you doing?," she exclaimed, startling the young man leaning desolately against a tree.

"Penny, what are you doing here?," he asked instead, ignoring her own question.

"I came to find you. Everyone's gone, and I was getting really worried."

He blinked, momentarily stunned. "You were worried?"

"Yes!," she said, exasperated. "I know how much of a whackadoodle you are about your bedtime! How could I not be worried?"

"Penny, sit down," Sheldon commanded.

"What?!"

"Sit down," he repeated, patting the ground next to him.

She let out a frustrated gust of air, deciding it would be easier to just acquiesce to his demands in the name of getting some answers, rather than continue in this vein.

"Look," he said, pointing up as she sat down. She did as commanded.

"Oh, wow," she breathed. She'd thought the stars had been bright last night, but the sight before her made her amend that thought. The view was incredible, the velvety sky lit with more pinpricks of light than anyone could possibly count.

She stared for a few moments, before turning back to Sheldon for some answers.

She was startled to find him gazing intently at her, rather than the night sky.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Penny wasn't sure she could breathe. He swallowed, breaking the silence first.

"Penny...I'm sorry I worried you tonight."

"It's okay," she breathed, still mesmerized by his gaze.

He really did have gorgeous eyes, she thought to herself.

His eyes twitched down to the ground, momentarily settling on their hands, mere millimeters apart, before locking eyes with her once more.

"Please don't date any of the men you met tonight," he begged, surprising her further.

"Sheldon...," she began, but he wasn't done.

"I know I have no right to dictate who you should or shouldn't date, but none of those men are very nice. You deserve better," he finished softly.

"Sheldon!," she said, her voice soft. She grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I didn't come all this way just to find another man. Despite MeeMaw's good intentions. I think...I think I just need to take some time away from the dating scene. You know. Focus on myself for a while."

Sheldon nodded. "Okay," he said softly, as if that settled things.

"Is everything all right, sweetie?," she asked, catching the odd note in his voice.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. I just thought...Maybe there's something you're not telling me."

"Penny, you are one of my closest friends. But there are some things that even you don't want to know."

"Try me," she said, suddenly suspicious.

He looked down, realizing he was trapped. Sheldon Cooper could never tell a lie.

"I want you to choose me," he whispered at last.

Penny's mind reeled with the possibility. Sheldon wanted _her_?

"Why?," she asked at last, the word almost breathless as it left her lips.

"Because I love you," he replied, meeting her gaze once more.

Penny's lip trembled as she took in his expression, hope mixed with fear warring across his features. Then she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I love you too," she whispered to his suddenly tense form. His arms wrapped around her waist in reply, the germ-a-phobic physicist relaxing into her embrace.

* * *

Penny never knew what made her say those four fateful words that evening, but the moment they left her mouth, she knew they were true.

MeeMaw had been right.

* * *

A/N: I just realized that my first three chapters were probably missing all these helpful little line divisions between scenes. I am so sorry... next time feel free to point it out! Anyway, not much left, maybe another 2 posts, then we're done. Please keep letting me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alrighty, folks, here goes. The last three chapters! Thank you all so much for following, favouriting, and reviewing! I hope you like how it ends!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

They hadn't spoken so much as a word since their mutual revelation, instead sitting together in companionable silence, taking in the enormity of it all.

They loved each other.

How or when it had happened, Penny couldn't be sure, but she knew there were going to be a lot of changes to her life now.

She was going to have to make some serious concessions in order to keep her whackadoodle happy, probably starting with sex.

She groaned inwardly. Hadn't he asked just a few days before if she'd be willing to give it up?

Leave it to her to fall for a guy who could barely handle being touched, let alone getting intimate.

She glanced up at him, his face shadowed beneath the tree, and sighed. At least he didn't look ill at ease, with her snuggled into his side. That was something, right?

He looked down, and smiled, taking her hand into his own. She shivered at the touch, and lay her head upon his shoulder.

He smelled amazingly good.

"Penny?," he whispered, almost too low for her to hear.

"Yeah?," she whispered back when he didn't immediately continue.

"Are you happy?," he asked.

She looked up, startled. "Of course I am, sweetie!," she reassured.

"Then why do you look so sad?," he asked, for once nailing her emotional state in one.

"I was just thinking, that's all," she said, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

"About this?," he guessed, again more shrewdly than she would have expected. He usually didn't notice even half of what she thought of as obvious.

"Yeah," she said at last.

"I see," he said, his shoulders sagging a bit.

Penny sighed. "I don't think you do," she said. She fidgeted a moment before she continued. "A few days ago you asked me if I'd be willing to take sex out of the equation. I just...I never thought it would be for you. To make you happy."

"Sex appears to complicate the search for one's ideal mate," Sheldon noted, perplexed. "I only meant that should you wish to continue dating at random, you may wish to consider the possibility of removing any unnecessary complications from your efforts."

"Sheldon, what are you saying?," Penny asked softly, feeling herself on uneven ground.

"I'm saying that should you desire that level of intimacy with me, I would not object."

"You would not object?," she questioned.

He looked down, obviously growing uncomfortable. "It is, of course, entirely up to your discretion," he replied, his eyes never leaving the ground.

"Sheldon, you don't like to be touched!," she pointed out, wishing he'd meet her gaze.

"Correction. I don't like to be touched unnecessarily," he replied. "It is my understanding," he added, finally looking up, "that a certain level of intimacy is required to maintain a romantic relationship."

"Sheldon...?"

"Penny, I love you," he said, repeating his words from earlier. "I don't believe this is something that will change. Sex is something I would consider gladly for you."

Penny nodded, trying to process all that had been said. Then, to test the theory, she leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against his own.

He froze at first, and for an agonized heartbeat, she thought he'd been wrong. And then he melted, pressing his own lips into hers, kissing her with all the love and tenderness she ever could have dreamed.

He blew the competition right out of the water. Penny was pretty sure she'd never want to kiss another man, ever again.

* * *

MeeMaw could hear the young people clear as day trying to sneak their way into the darkened house. They moved together, quietly, up the stairs, right past her bedroom door. She stayed still, waiting.

Sheldon murmured something unintelligible, and there was silence for a moment before first one door, then the other opened, and the young people went to bed.

MeeMaw smiled. In all her eighty-seven years, she'd never been wrong about a couple yet. And those two, in her mind, were the strongest pair she'd ever met.

They'd just needed a little shove to get them to realize it themselves.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Penny sang her way into the shower the next morning, and all the way down to breakfast, surprising Sheldon with her good humour at such an early hour.

"Mornin', darlin'," MeeMaw greeted, grinning at the pretty blonde. "Sleep well?"

Penny walked over to the older woman, wrapping her arms loosely about her shoulders. "I did, thank you," she replied. MeeMaw laughed.

"So you figured it out, did ya?," she asked, her smile nearly splitting her face.

"We did," Penny replied, grinning just as wide as she reached for her plate of eggs.

Sheldon blinked, comprehension beginning to dawn. "This was your plan?," he asked carefully, needing his suspicions confirmed.

"Of course, Moonpie!," MeeMaw crowed delightedly. "And don't you two just make the _nummiest_ couple!"

"You knew and you didn't tell me?," Sheldon asked, turning to Penny.

Penny shrugged. "Sometimes you need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince," she replied evasively.

MeeMaw laughed again. "Don't judge our boys too harshly," she said with a wink. "I picked that crop just special for the occasion."

Sheldon looked from one to the other, and back again. He couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. They spoke the same language. Penny, and MeeMaw...they were the same kind of smart.

He was in very big trouble now.

"Well, don't just sit there, Moonpie!," MeeMaw called out, snapping him out of his reverie. "Pass the bacon!"

* * *

They stayed another day with MeeMaw, this time really visiting, but then it was time to go.

They both had work, and with an eighteen hour drive ahead of them, they'd need what precious little time they had left to get home and rest enough to make it in on time.

Penny was just as sad to leave as Sheldon was, hugging MeeMaw tight as they said their goodbyes. She'd really come to love the old lady in their few days there, and earnestly hoped that it wouldn't be too long before they would see her again.

As they walked to the car, Sheldon placed his hand on the small of her back, gently reaching around her to pull her door open. Grinning, she slipped inside, getting comfortable as he made his way back around to the passenger door and climbed in.

"You take good care of that young lady, Moonpie!," MeeMaw called, waving from the lawn.

"I will," he promised, waving in return, and Penny smiled.

Sheldon Cooper never lied, and he never broke a promise, especially to his MeeMaw.

This time, she was playing for keeps. It was a very good feeling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue**

The group stared at them in stunned silence. Leonard was the first to speak.

"What _happened_ out there?," he asked, incredulity oozing from his voice.

"Yeah, I didn't think you even _liked_ girls," Howard chimed in.

Raj gave a silent little nod in Howard's direction, indicating agreement with Howard's assessment.

"I don't like girls," Sheldon replied. "I like Penny."

Leonard looked to Penny for help. She shrugged.

"What can I say?," she said. "I don't like scientists. I like Sheldon."

She grinned at the reaction _that_ statement provoked, not only from the man in question, but from the room at large.

"I give up," Leonard muttered, looking to the other two.

Howard and Raj were still trying to decide what to think.

On the one hand, the evidence _did_ suggest that their friends were telling the truth. Sheldon was seated in his usual spot, Penny balanced precariously on the arm of the couch beside him. And they were _touching_.

On the other hand... Penny and _Sheldon_?

Raj whispered something in Howards ear, sending him shooting toward Sheldon on the couch.

"No, I don't think she hit her head!," he exclaimed. "Do you _see_ any outward signs of concussion?"

Raj shrugged. Penny laughed.

"Give up, guys," she said. "There are some things you just need to experience to understand."

"Ah, no thank you," Howard replied, shooting a wary glance at Sheldon. Raj and Leonard each pulled a face as well.

Penny rolled her eyes.

_Geeks_, she thought, grabbing a container of food.

Sheldon followed suite, blissfully unaware of the curious stares being directed his way.

What did it matter to him, anyway? He'd gotten the girl.

Offering Penny a bite from his dish, the others could only stare in stunned silence.

No bazinga had ever gone so far.

It was official: Penny and Sheldon were an item.


End file.
